Improvement in machines for arranging and feeding blanks



' 2SheetsSheetl A. DELKESGAMP & F. B. BRADLEY. W Machine for Arrangingand Feeding Blanks.

No. 203,897. Patented May 21,1878. x

//l\ J I 6L- l 2 Sheets-Sheen2. i A. DELKESOAMP & P. B. BRADLEY Machinefor Arranging and Feeding Blanks.

N0."203,89 7= Patented May 21,1878.

Ummna sTATEsj PATENT-"OFFICE.

ADOLPH DELKEsCAMr AND FRANKLIN B. BRADLEY, or soUrHI CToN, CONNECTICUT;SAID DELKESGAMP ASSIGNOR TO SAID BRADLEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR ARRANGING AND FEEDING BLANKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 203,897, dated May 21,1878 'application filed October 4,1877,

struction and operation of certain devices, and in the novel combinationof parts, as here inafter described.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machinefor feeding cup-shaped blanks which embodies our invention, the samebeing represented with the front plate of the conductor removed. Fig. 2

is a vertical section of the same on line a2 w of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is alike view of the conductor with its adjacent parts represented in adiffer ent position. Fig. 4 is a top view of the receptacle and itsrotating cylinder, and Fig. 5

is a front elevation of a detached portion of the conductor.

Adesignates a hollow cylindrical receptacle, represented in verticalsection in Figs. 1 and 2, and with its .top broken oif; but it may becarried up to any desired height. Within the receptacle A, and extendingupward some distance above its bottom, is a rotating cylinder, B, madeconical on its top end, and provided with a peripheral flange, a, at thebase of said conical-shaped end, which flange is provided with openingsor guides 72, of the same contour in plan view as the contour in sideview of the blanks to be fed, and with the largest or widest part oftheopenings at the periphery of said flange. The blanks to be fed areplaced promiscuously within the receptacle A, and a partialreciprocating and rotary motion is imparted to the cylinder B by meansofcrank 0, attached to the cylindershaft D, the pitman c, and crank E, thelatter 'reciving a continuously-revolving motion thro gh the beveledgears d at and main shaft F.

The'conical-shaped end of the cylinder B Y has a tendency to throw theblanks over the flange a, and the reciprocating rotary motion beforedescribed causes the openings 1) to be brought under the blanks withinthe receptacle and over the flange, when those which happen to be in aposition'to coincide with the' openings will fall through, and thosewhich do not at first so coincide will be gently turned From the flangea the blanks fall into the space between the sides of the receptacle Aand cylinder B, which space is just a little wider than the length'ofthe blank, and the blanks are wide enough so that they will not turnover endwise within said space. When the blanks and openings 11 are ofthe form shown, they are deposited between the sides of the receptacleand cylinder, with their open ends toward the sides of the receptacle.At the lower end of the space under the flange a there is a stationaryspiral incline, e, which nearly surrounds the cylinder B, as mostclearly shown in Fig. 1, and the lower end of which incline is at thetop of the vertical and stationary conductor f. In Fig. 1 the frontplate of this conductor is removed, in order to show its interior, whichis, in cross-section, a four-sided figure with right-angled corners; butthe size of it issuch that a blank once falling sidewise into it, in theposition in which the series of blanks are represented in it in Fig. 2,cannot change its position except to rotate on its own axis.

When the blanks fall through the openings b of the flange a upon theincline 0, they roll down the same and into the conductor f. In casethere is any tendency to clog on the incline, the reciprocating motionof the cylinder B against the solid end of the blanks has a tendencyto-free them and precipitate them down the incline. At the upper end ofthe conductor f there is a stop, 9, the height of which is about equalto the diameter of the blanks, and the face of which is flush with theside of the conductor which is opposite the foot of the incline e, asshown in Fig.- 1, and above said stop is a waste-chute, h. The stop 9acts to stop the blanks over the upper end of the conductor f and turnthem into it as they come down the incline 0 until the conductor isfull. If the blanks then come down the incline so fast as to be morethan one tier high, they are not stopped and turned downward by the stop9, but pass 011 over the top of it and into the waste-chute h, fromwhich they may be discharged into any proper receptacle, so that, nomatter how fast blanks may be fed down the incline within certainlimits, they will never remain more than one tier high at the top of theconductor, so that it is impossible for the blanks to clog up the lowerend of the receptacleA, and at the same time more than enough to supplythe conductor may be let through the flange a, so as to insure a supplyalways sufficient to keep the conductor full. By making a greater orless number of openings in the flange a, the

supply may be increased or diminished at pleasure. The blanks which aredischarged through the waste-chute may be again placed in the receptacleA. As the blanks are held on the incline with their open end toward thesides of the receptacle A, they are consequently deposited in theconductor with their open ends to the front, as shown in Fig. 2. Thelower end of the conductor f is closed.

Upon the main shaft F there is a crank-pin, i, Fig. 2, to which isconnected the pitman'Gr for imparting motion to the reciprocatingcarriage H. Said carriage is provided with a punch, 70, the body ofwhich is triangular in cross-section, and the end of which is made ofsuch size and shape as to substantially fill the inside of the blanks.Upon one side of the conductor f there is a small vertically-slidingcarriage, Z, which carries a light spring, m, Figs. 2 and 3, the lowerend of which spring rests in a vertical slot at the base of the conatriangular opening which allows the body of the triangular punch to passthrough it, as represented in Figs. 2 and 3. By making this opening andthe punch 70 triangular, the punch can be made to completely fill theblank at three points, and thereby better guide it in its course, and atthe same time the hole is so shaped that it is impossible for a blank towork forward through or partially through the hole, whereas, if thepunch were round and made to fill the inside of the blanks, the hole toadmit it would have to be so nearly the di- 'ameter of the blank thatthe latter would be liable to work wholly or partly out through it.

As the blanks fall down the conductor f, and are-stopped with the bottomblank at the foot of the conductor in front of the transversedelivery-opening n, preparatory to being delivered through the same,some means must be provided to keep the blank from partially enteringsaid opening and turning over upon one side, in which position it wouldbe mashed out of shape by the punchk in its next forward movement. Themeans employed to prevent such a result is the spring m, which, to allpractical purposes, closes the opening a, so that the bottom blank keepsits position in the conductor f the same as if no transversedelivery-opening were made therein until the blank is acted upon andheld by the punch is, as hereinafter described.

When the reciprocating carriage H throws the punch 70 into thetransverse hole in the conductor, said punch enters the inside of thelowermost blank, while the spring m is pressed firmly against the backof said blank, and holds it in place, as shown in Fig. 2. The furthermovement of" the punch 7c. depresses the spring m and forces the blankinto the circular delivery-opening a, as shown in Fig. 3, the springmeantime continually holding the blank against the end of the punch. Thewedge I has by this time been driven under the carriage lso far as toslightly raise the spring, but not enough to disengage it from theblank, which blank, however, 'is now so far advanced into the circulardelivery-opening n as to be supported thereby without the I aid of thespring; and as the punch proceeds the spring is raised so high that itslower end clears the blank, which is forced entirely through at and intothe receiving-die J, as partially indicated by the broken lines in Fig.2. By means of the mechanism last described every blank is taken fromthe stationary conductor and firmly and squarely seated in thereceiving-die, where it may be further operated upon in any desiredmanner. The receiving-die may be made to move back and forth to presentunfilled dies to the back of the cir cular opening it, or it mighttravel by it on the periphery or face of an intermittent revolvingcarriage for the same purpose, all of which is immaterial to ourinvention, because the subsequent operation of dies, after once beingfilled from the conductor, constitutes no part of the feeding mechanism.Upon the return movement of the carriage H the punch 70 is whollywithdrawn, the spring in returns to its normal 7 condition, and anotherblank falls down, and is forced transversely out of the stationaryconductor, as before described.

We have herein described the cylinder B as having a vibratory motion;but other movements will answer thesame purposeas, for instance, acontinuous rotary or an intermittent rotary motion. We also prefer tomake the top of the cylinder conical; but, if made cease? flat, themotion imparted to it would tend to throw the blanks outward, andproduce the sameresult. We have also described the blanks as cup-shaped;but if the solid end were removed, the form of the blank would still bethe same, and could be fed just the same. Neither is it essential thatthe blank should be hollow, as any blank having a controlling shape maybe fed by means of the same mechanism, made to conform to the shape ofthe blanks.

We claim as our invention-- 1. In a machine for feedingblanks, theflange a, mounted on the upper end-of the cylinder B, and provided withperipheral openings 7), in combination with the sides of the receptacleA, surrounding said flange, and forming one side of the openings for thepassage of the blanks, substantially as described, and for the purposesset forth.

2. The combination of the receptacle A, rotary cylinder B, and spiralincline e, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of receptacle A, cylinder B, incline e, and conductorf, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of conductor f, incline 6, stop g, and waste-chute h,substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination of the following elements, viz: first,astationaryreceptacle; second, an incline placed within the receptacle in suchrelative position as to incline downward when the receptacle is in avertical position; third, an internal rotating cylinder; and, fourth,mechanism for imparting motion to the said cylinder relatively to thereceptacle, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination of the conductor f, having opening 01, the spring m,reciprocating punch 7c, and mechanism for raising the spring out of thepath of the punch, substantially as described, and for the purposespecified.

7. In combination with the conductor f, the punch k, of triangular formin cross-section, and a corresponding-shaped opening in the front of theconductor, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

8. The receptacle A, having a chamber at both its ends, in combinationwith the arranging mechanism and cut-off, forming a transverse divisionthrough the receptacle between said chambers, the lower chamber beinglocated below the plane occupied by the arranging mechanism,substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

9. In a machine for feeding cup-shaped blanks, the conductor f, having atransverse delivery opening, in combination with the spring m, orequivalent mechanism, for closing said opening and preventing the bottomblank from rolling over while it is being seated preparatory to beingdelivered through said opening, substantially as described, and for thepurpose specified.

ADOLPH DELKESOAMP. FRANKLIN B. BRADLEY.

Witnesses CHAS. W. DEARTH, T. B. SMITH.

